. . .because Morris, Minnesota, is a pleasant, quiet, safe yet intellectually stimulating place on the west central Minnesota prairie, home of the U of M-Morris and a whole lot of interesting people. - morris mn

"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

A historic building on our U of M-Morris campus - morris mn

The multi-ethnic building was the original home of the music department at UMM. (B.W. photo)

Friday, June 29, 2012

We are nearing the peak of summer. The peak is of course July 4 and the celebration in Hancock. Morris sits dormant.

One of the highlights of the Hancock July 4 is the Little League "all-star" game.

Girls have softball to play in the summer. When I was a kid they didn't even have that.

Girls sports grew like The Little Engine That Could. It's amazing
that in an earlier era, not that long ago in the scheme of things, girls
weren't supposed to pursue sports. Girls sports was restricted to that
one page in the school yearbook that had a picture of "G.A.A." (Girls
Athletic Association). It was patronizing.

Then along came a generation that included pioneering souls like
Mary Holmberg. We had Chris Voelz at the University of Minnesota. Their
assertiveness could bring friction.

If you were in the media you scratched your head and wondered if
girls sports really deserved "equal treatment." The adjustment was
awkward which is typical of any major cultural shift. The progress was
by fits and starts at times.

I remember a basketball referee who said "you have to call
traveling all the time with the girls, no matter how often it happens,
because otherwise they'll never learn."

When you stop and think about it, dribbling seems a rather odd
requirement, doesn't it? There's no such requirement in team handball.

I took a college course in team handball. The old teacher had us
"choose up sides." That can be just as humiliating as playing dodgeball.
The fact I wore a Tommy Kramer (No. 9) jersey didn't up my stock any.

Remember when Kramer came to Morris to be grand marshal of the
Prairie Pioneer Days parade? I believe that was in 1987. I remember him
riding in a golf cart driven by Brett Weber.

I hope Tommy is doing OK today. So many former NFL players develop
serious health issues (related to their football playing) as they get
older. I remember Kramer being slammed to the turf by a Los Angeles Rams
lineman, so bad he seemed stunned and unconscious, and the worst part
was that his fingers were twitching. I feared for an instant he might be
dead.

Kramer hung around to finish his career. The Vikings had a hard
time surrounding him with enough good talent. He was dragged down by the
kind of party lifestyle that seemed popular among pro players then.

But today, my sole thought about Kramer, who is my age, is that I hope his basic health survived the rigors of the game.

The point I am making in this post, belatedly maybe, is that women
not only climbed to equality, they have it better now. "I knew I could,"
the little train engine is saying.

Girls get to play softball in summer. How vastly preferable to
baseball. The reason we subject young boys to the game of baseball, in
"little league," is that we find it fun replicating pro baseball. We can
fantasize about these little tykes growing up to be big leaguers.
Totally delusional of course.

Boys age 9-12 typically look ungainly trying to play baseball.
Pitchers have trouble throwing strikes. The best pitchers, usually age
12, can become too dominant. The younger kids flail away trying to hit
that small ball. When you hit the ball into fair territory, there's a
good chance you'll reach base because the fielders can screw up. It's an
awfully small ball.

The logic is simple for appreciating how softball is a preferable
game for these young kids: the ball is bigger. The pitchers don't have
to throw overhand. Pitching overhand is actually an unnatural physical
activity.

Whitey Herzog once wrote that a pitcher injures his arm every time
he makes a pitch. Why do you think baseball starting pitchers need to
rest 3-4 days between appearances? The need for such a long rest makes
one question the activity itself, just like we're questioning the whole
sport of football.

We are nearing a stage where we'll be forced to reconsider the
whole sports landscape. There is an irony here. Girls sports grew with
the idea or premise that girls' bodies were more delicate and their
sports approach had to reflect that. It sounds like an insulting
approach on the face of it.

But we need to look at it differently now. We need to be more
delicate with all the young people who play sports. Being delicate and
careful is a virtue. Being "macho" by promoting football (and chewing
tobacco?) is being made to look foolish now.

Girls are spared football. They are spared wrestling in which the
temptation to lose weight can be unhealthy. They have the privilege of
playing softball in which the large ball makes it more batter-friendly
(and even safer) than baseball. There are no physical issues with the
underhand pitching motion in softball.

An underhand pitcher can literally pitch every day. Remember when
Eddie Feigner came to Morris? It was billed as "The king and his court."
He was a fast-pitch softball pitcher who barnstormed. You might
remember Halsey Hall on Twins broadcasts promoting Feigner's schedule.
The guy could pitch every day.

Somewhere in Morris history it should be recorded - no exaggeration
- that Feigner's appearance in Morris, for a Jaycees fundraiser in
about 1981, was a disaster. A group of area guys was put together to
play Feigner and his mates in this exhibition. Problem is, these groups
of opponents weren't supposed to take it real seriously. It was supposed
to be a "wink wink" thing. Like the "Washington Nationals" playing the
Harlem Globetrotters.

Someone didn't get the memo. The local guys gave 100 percent and
ended up showing up the visitors, who didn't take kindly to it. The
exhibition was cut short and the visitors groused considerably about
what had just happened, to anyone who would listen.

Feigner's son was on his team. I remember the son yelling "Playing you guys is like being on Valium, man!"

Valium?

Former major league catcher John Bateman was in the crew. The elder
Feigner came out to home plate and explained the game was being cut
short because of sun in the west.

I was the innocent media observer of course. I trotted over to
Feigner after game's end and he was nice to me. I was going to do a
brief interview but he handed me a piece of literature and said all I
would need was in there.

I guess I would chalk up the whole incident to lousy communication.
Dave Kratz of the Jaycees said "I think it was kind of a ripoff."
Frankly I think a lot of the local players may have been a little too
testosterone-fueled. There was a lot of that back then.

I found it curious. I was a mere observer, which means that at age 57 my brain cells are all intact.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Summer is here so give a cheer. I discovered that phrase in a comic
book long ago, in which monster characters like Frankenstein and
Dracula were schoolteachers and they were celebrating the end of the
school year.

Do kids (or teachers) still feel relief when they're excused from
school, as if a torture session was done? I guess we did. We should have
asked more questions about why we found school so unpleasant.

Is school considered more pleasant and relevant today? I can only speculate. It seems parents demand more accountability.

I remember a co-worker who insisted her son be excused from an
unpleasant classroom assignment. The kids were supposed to get up in
front of the class and tell a story about something embarrassing that
happened to them. "No," this mother said. "My son would just get
teased."

What about the authority of teachers to direct such projects? Her comment: "I think they're working for me."

Touche.

The boomers' parents seemed quite content delegating to the
teachers. Is this because so many of the men served in World War Two and
felt you just had to defer to authority? I don't know, but us boomers
circulated in a world in which we had to roll with the punches.

I enjoyed reading books up through elementary school. After that it
seemed so many of our reading assignments veered into the oddball. I
would have loved just continuing to read good stories, stories that
didn't hammer into our head how unjust American life was, or have other
shady political aims.

I survived all that and I hope the kids of today don't have to. "Of Mice and Men" belongs in the dumpster.

Summertime! When I was a kid, marching band was still going strong
in Morris. What a different era from today. We had a director with the
initials J.W. who kept the program going pretty strong until it finally
started fading.

Many people in music instruction feel there really isn't much
enrichment in summer marching band. The kids tend to play the same tune
over and over. Playing while walking limits your ability to handle your
instrument in the optimum fashion.

The director comes off a little like a drill sergeant. "Wipe that smile off your face!" etc.

J.W. could kick a kid out of practice as discipline and the kid
would come back. I could name names but I won't. Heck, today I'd just
say "I'm going to the beach - have a nice rest of the summer."

We didn't get any school credits for this, did we?

Ol' J.W. was a little behind the times. He was a little too much of
a disciplinarian. A turning point came when a female student of high
standing, initials M.S., confronted him harshly in practice one day (in
the band room, not during marching band). She literally shouted "that's
no way to teach!"

I think she had more issues than just with the teaching. J.W.
responded by immediately calling off that practice. I don't recall him
responding to her in any manner. I'm not sure his brain was able to
process what just happened. Ah, the generation gap.

I remember J.W. absolutely picking on a kid in the trombone section, initials J.S., for no reason I could ever see.

Boomers knew their teachers could get by being Caesars in their
palaces. The boomers, at least the early boomers, also knew they could
get drafted into the military and die a miserable death in an overseas
jungle or swamp before their 20th birthday. The kids of today can't
begin to relate to that.

I think there's far more accountability in education today.
Teachers still have tenure and seniority but it seems there are
pressures that serve to humble them a little more and keep them in line.

Either that, or the people entering the profession today really are more idealistic. I hope it's the latter.

The Morris nine took the diamond to play Brandon-Evansville Monday
and took command, scoring runs in every inning except one. Only in the
fourth was there a goose egg for Morris.

The final line scores showed Post #29 with eleven runs on eleven
hits and one error, while B-E posted 1-3-5 numbers. Only five innings
were required. The Morris dominance took care of that.

This was the fourth Morris triumph of the campaign against no losses.

Tanner Picht's name doesn't usually appear with pitching in the
boxscore. On Monday (6/18) Picht did all the Morris pitching and allowed
just that one B-E run (earned). He performed like he was a stalwart on
the mound, setting down ten B-E batters on strikes. Remember, this was
just a five-inning game.

Picht walked just two batters and allowed three hits.

Dan Schafer pitched for B-E and got roughed up, although it should
be noted only four of the eleven runs he allowed were earned. Those five
B-E errors took a toll in their loss. Schafer struck out three batters
and walked two.

The Morris offense attacked Schafer for eleven hits as Picht led
the way at three-for-four. He crossed home plate three times. Two of his
hits were doubles. It was a day where it seemed he did everything as he
also stole two bases.

Chandler Erickson went two-for-four and drove in a run. Tyler
Henrichs socked a double as part of going two-for-four, and scored two
runs.

Mac Beyer had a double, a triple, two runs scored and a pair of
RBIs. Brody Bahr had no hits but stole a base and drove in a run.

Jacob Torgerson and Jordan Staples each added a hit to the mix. Torgerson had an RBI and Staples scored a run.

The big inning for Post #29 was the third when six runs came in.
The team batted around. RBIs resounded off the bats of Beyer, Picht,
Torgerson and Erickson.

Glenwood 6, Morris 5

Post #29 was brought down to earth in Thursday (6/21) home action, getting bested by Glenwood 6-5.

It was a humbling game as Morris broke down defensively in the
seventh. Morris led 5-2 entering the seventh and seemed on track to stay
unbeaten. But it wasn't to be. Two fielding miscues fueled a four-run
Glenwood rally as the Morris fans groaned.

Three singles preceded those errors. Singles by Patrick Stumpf,
Jake Amundson and Austin Giese loaded the bases. A ground ball then
resulted in an errant throw. Two runs came in.

Runners are now at second and third and Morris opts to
intentionally walk Andrew Amundson. There is one out. The next batter
hits a chopper. A throw home results in the catcher not being able to
secure the ball. Two more runs scoring is the consequence, so it's a
whole new ballgame.

Glenwood (Post #187) is up 6-5 and needs to retire Morris in the
bottom of the seventh. The ball is handed to Trenton Berg for relief
duties. Berg got the job done, fanning a batter for the final out.

Beyer and Torgerson pitched for Morris with Beyer getting the loss.

Morris outhit Glenwood 6-5. Torgerson with his two-for-three line
was the only Post #29 batter with multiple hits. Jake scored a run and
drove in a run.

Chandler Erickson had a hit, a stolen base and a run scored. Tyler Henrichs scored two runs to go with his one-for-three line.

Mac Beyer went one-for-three and scored twice. Jordan Staples had a hit in two at-bats and picked up an RBI.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Can all the king's horses and all the king's men restore football? Indeed it has taken a fall and in a relatively short time.

I confess I have only been vaguely aware of football's worrisome health consequences, up until recently.

Just as people once vaguely sensed smoking was bad for you - no vivid confirmation yet - people might have sensed football was a little barbaric. A sport that requires helmets?

Now we know it isn't just the obvious concussions that prompt concern. The routine hits that make up football life take a real toll.

Kids approach this sport innocently. They worship "the pros" on TV. Watching football is a little like playing pinball: there is a pane of glass between us and what's really going on.

Football as a badge of masculinity? Maybe that's like the old canard of smoking (or drinking) suggesting maturity. Take a look at a former gridder in his 60s (or even 50s) having regular headaches and memory issues. Doesn't seem very masculine to me.
We will learn more as the celebrated lawsuit by former NFL players progresses.

"Oh, but the pros are different from high school," you might say.

Yes, I'd say it's different: adolescents' brains are more tender.
You might want to cringe the next time you see a kickoff return or punt return at our local field. Those players build up a head of steam before getting hit.
Our prep coach Jerry Witt used the expression "smash-mouth" in many interviews I conducted with him. He might say of an upcoming opponent "they play smash-mouth football."

Can you imagine giving any sort of like quote in connection to girls sports? We can now truly see how far girls sports has come. Not only do they now have equal resources, they are spared the physical punishment that football dishes out.

Football increasingly looks anachronistic. A school board member in Pennsylvania sprang into celebrity status, probably unwittingly, by suggesting football be banned. Patty Sexton - leave it to a woman - talked about how school districts should not be "funding gladiators." It's an early harbinger.

The magazine National Review has seemed to give credence to this rallying cry.

The better educated people will not simply shrug and say "boys will be boys." They will examine the data and quickly separate themselves from any sentimental fondness they've developed for football. If they decide football isn't appropriate for their sons, their conscience will bother them when they feel tempted to watch NFL or major college football on TV.

Honestly, I don't think I can ever watch football the same way.
It will be hard to withdraw completely. But on second thought, only rarely do I watch a game from start to finish anyway. The barrage of commercials gets wearisome. I always have a few better things to do on Sunday anyway. I think most of us do.
Our family visits friends at West Wind Village on Sunday, right at around 2 p.m. I'll catch blips of the Vikings game there.
Many of us on the road listen on radio. If nothing else, at the end of the day we'll "tune in" and see what fascination the Vikings delivered. It must be fascinating if that corporate entity of a team can lead us all around by the nose and have stadium demands filled.

The new Vikings stadium won't be in use until 2016. A lot can happen between now and then in terms of football losing its stature. Have the state's news media asked hard questions about this?

We are a land of "creative destruction." Sports is entertainment, a realm in which predictions are difficult indeed to make.
In two months we'll all start salivating over the new football season. We're already being teased with headlines about Percy Harvin pouting and suggesting a trade in classic pro athlete fashion.

I have had more than the average amount of interest in sports through my life. But when I gather up the house paper at McDonald's these days, I find myself not eager to grab sports. In fact, I glance at sports and immediately think all those topics are being weighted out of proportion. The headlines and photos are huge about topics that needn't demand such bombast.

The Star Tribune is disconnected. Newspapers are of course thrashing about in the water, trying to keep from drowning. They seem to behave as if sports coverage is a lifeblood, as if we're all waiting with baited breath. If I am not, it's a good bet that a wide swath of the population is not.

Harvin is a wide receiver with a history of prolonged headaches. Is it just a coincidence he plays football and has headaches? I frankly hope it is, and hope he doesn't become one of those sad handicapped stories (like Mike Webster) when he gets older.

I would certainly suggest that someone prone to serious headaches not play football. There are a couple thousand former NFL players involved in the lawsuit against the league. People so far seem to not want to trivialize. It seems there is pretty genuine awareness growing, just like our awareness grew by leaps and bounds in connection to smoking.

Honus Wagner didn't want his baseball card on a cigarette pack. He was expressing his gut instincts. We should have felt similar instincts about football but we have been too mesmerized by the game. We have been that proverbial pinball player.

We watch the young men smack into each other like missiles. I have been as guilty as anyone simply enjoying it. Last fall I relished going to DeToy's Restaurant every Saturday morning and exchanging football notes with waitress Felixia Rosales.

I couldn't approach such conversations the same now. The enlightenment has come fast. Also, it seems we're getting over any sense of denial pretty quickly. Parents cannot in good conscience deny the facts.

It will be interesting this August to see if there's a numbers drop-off with Tiger football, Cougar football and football as a whole across the U.S. Will those "Friday night lights" fade? If not, it could be a folly for our society.

But if nothing else, the consequences of football will get the attention of lawyers and the insurance industry. As one op-ed writer sagely pointed out, football will continue to exist, certainly at the pro level where the money dangles, but the sport will be "sick."

We have been through so many Minnesota Vikings seasons. It was Nirvana in my younger days when the Vikes made four Super Bowls. The Vikings were a relatively young institution then. Fewer games were on TV. We were transfixed by an entertainment product that was in the right place at the right time.

But that's all it was: an entertainment product - a game played by mortals with all the mortal problems of everyone else.

The goose that laid the golden egg did quite fine. Now we're realizing the price paid by all those gladiators.

"Smash-mouth?" I'll pass on such gestures of machismo.

The Jerry Sandusky mess

It sounds like all the king's horses and all the king's men won't save Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky stands as sort of a symbol - a deeply flawed human being who got cover because of how he helped elevate a major college football program.

Criminal? I'm not sure the criminal justice system addresses his particular problem. I think he was born with a certain kind of inclination. He has a sexual compulsion that non-sufferers would not understand.

I would suggest these individuals need to be confined in such a way they can't be predatory (of course). But to suggest it's "criminal?" I don't know.

Prison time would be a deterrent? A deterrent from engaging in a type of behavior that normal people would never consider? And would find abhorrent?

We need to reconsider prisons just like we reconsidered that old mental health facility in Fergus Falls. If people need confinement, fine, but it needs to be done with more discretion. I'm not sure someone like Bernie Madoff needs to be thrown in with violent criminals. Or Jerry Sandusky.

We as a society seem to be re-thinking all this just as we are re-thinking the sport of football.

What's with Bob Costas, NBC?

The media can act like a dunce through much of this. Why was the Bob Costas interview with Sandusky edited the way it was when it originally aired? This is a monumental question and hasn't gotten the proper attention in an investigative, inquisitive way.

You would think in this age of fragmented media, there would be more of a hue and cry. Fragmented media tend to be democratized media.

What was the thinking of NBC editors who omitted the most damning segment of the interview?
NBC gave an explanation that of course was insufficient. Simply saying the interview was long, insults our intelligence. Some sort of agenda was at work here. Did big media want the suspense of the story to continue? Sandusky's apparent confession to Costas would have been jaw-dropping. It might have made the trial seem academic.

Did big media savor the drama of a trial? Did they want to have a little more doubt dangling out there? Did they want to see the vaunted defense attorney - celebrated cases always have Doberman-like defense attorneys - make the usual competitive inroads, creating shards of doubt that would have us on edge of seats?

Or were the big media being a little protective of big-time football? Would Sandusky's stomach-turning revelation to the somewhat pretentious Costas have brought too much instant embarrassment to the cash cow of football?

Are the networks helping wave the flag for big-time football a little longer? They make huge money selling advertising for the plethora of televised games.

But are we so hopelessly addicted to this sport? If we are, heaven help us all.

What will be the health of football in 2016 when the new Vikings stadium opens?

Click on the permalink below to read my reaction to State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen's role in the new stadium. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course."

Monday, June 18, 2012

High
school baseball gives way pretty seamlessly to Legion. The 2012 prep
campaign is now history, so the Legion action is in full swing. It
provides lively diamond entertainment in those lazy, hazy days of
summer.

The Morris Legion nine upped its record to 3-0 with Thursday (6/14)
success. Four runs were plenty for backing hurler Chandler Erickson.

Chandler
wasn't even touched through the first three and two-thirds innings of
this 4-0 win. His perfect game bid was thwarted when Luke Schwarz
singled with two outs in the fourth.

Erickson was unfazed and stayed very much in the groove. There was
only one more hit after the Schwarz success: a single by Taylor
Holleman.

Erickson was on the mound for the last out of the
game. He shone in the control department, issuing zero walks. He set
down eight Hancock batters on strikes.

Morris got on top 1-0 in the first inning. Then came two runs in
the fifth and one in the sixth. Neither team committed an error. Post
#29 (Morris) outhit Hancock 8-2.

The Hancock pitching was
divided between Holleman (who took the loss) and Bryan Shaw. Holleman
pitched four innings and Shaw two.

Holleman fanned four batters but struggled with control, walking
five. He gave up four hits and one run (earned). Shaw fanned three
batters, walked three and gave up four hits and three runs (all earned).

Tom Holland gave lots of spark for the Post #29 offense, going
two-for-three with a run scored and two stolen bases. Tanner Picht was a
speed merchant and stole two bases also. Tanner went one-for-three with
a run scored.

Tyler Henrichs had a hit in his only at-bat. Mac Beyer added to the
stolen base list with one, plus he had a two-for-four boxscore line
with two ribbies.

Lincoln Berget was off to the races for a stolen base, plus he went one-for-two with two runs-batted-in.

Luke Schwarz and Taylor Holleman both went one-for-three for Hancock.

Amateur: Eagles 6, Benson 4

The Morris town
team continued on a roll with a home win over the Benson Chiefs on June
13. It was the Eagles' third straight win and seventh in their last
eight games - a stretch of success pushing their record to 7-3.

Benson had given the Eagles some trouble earlier in the season. The
Eagles turned things around in the 6/13 rematch, winning despite being
outhit 12-10. Each team committed one error.

The Eagles kept
Benson at bay through the first six innings. The score stood 5-0 through
six, but Benson did summon some offensive momentum by game's end.
Benson plated one run in the seventh and three in the eighth. The Eagles
scored their final run in the eighth, so if you add 'em all up, the
home team had six runs at game's end, the Chiefs four.

Nate Haseman went out to the mound as the Eagles' starting pitcher.
The Chiefs had him figured out pretty well, pounding out 12 hits versus
him. But Haseman got the most important boxscore symbol next to his
name: the "W." It was his second pitching triumph of the summer against
no losses.

He struck out four batters and walked two. He had his pitching arm retired after seven innings.

On
came Kirby Marquart and Craig Knochenmus each to pitch one inning.
Marquart gave up no hits or runs, walked none and struck out one.
Knochenmus notched his second straight save as he set down the Chiefs
1-2-3 in the ninth. One of those outs came via strikeout.

It's always great watching the bottom of the batting order excel.
This was one of those games where those relatively unsung guys performed
like the stars. Spokesman Matthew Carrington lauded that threesome on
going seven for 12 with four RBIs. Hats off to Brett Anderson
(two-for-four, two RBIs, one run), Mitch Carbert (two-for-four and an
RBI) and Jamie Van Kempen (three-for-four and an RBI).

Knochenmus had a boxscore line of 3-1-1-1 (at-bats, runs, hits,
RBIs). Cole Riley pounded two hits in four at-bats with two runs scored.
Dusty Sauter stole a base and scored a run.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

I say hats off, obviously, to the Morris Area Chokio Alberta track
and field athletes who carried the school's banner so well in state. I
wish I could have gotten through this online coverage process cleanly.

As much as I have lamented the West Central Tribune sports section
as an information source, I really wasn't expecting such a big glitch
again so soon. I innocently grabbed the June 1 sports section here at
the Morris Public Library, eager to see how the Tigers did in section. I
had no reason to expect problems.

At the top of page B2 is an article with photos that focuses on
Tiger track and field in the 6A meet (held in Moorhead). There are two
photos, one of Katie Holzheimer and the other of MaKenzie Smith. The
headline also bestows attention on these two: "Holzheimer, Smith qualify
for state meet in 6A."

Wonderful, I thought. The article accompanying these photos gives
details. It reports that Holzheimer qualified for state in the 100m and
200m dashes.

Coach Dale Henrich told me at Willie's that
Holzheimer met the qualifying standard in the 200m, thus she advanced
despite placing third. Normally it's the top two. Meeting the qualifying
standard is something to crow about.

The West Central Tribune article reported that Smith qualified for
state in the 3200m, the longest distance. That didn't surprise me
because I saw what Smith was capable of doing last fall in cross
country. I discovered later that Smith also qualified in the 1600m but
that wasn't reported on 6/1. My head is starting to swim just reporting
the discrepancies.

The article concludes by announcing the dates of the state meet.

I
bumped into the always-amiable coach Henrich toward the end of the week
when he was stocking up on Gatorade-like drinks. At this point I
assumed the West Central Tribune article had given me all I needed to
know. I wrote a few paragraphs online to give these two athletes their
much-deserved acknowledgment.

Fast-forward to June 11. That's the Monday after the state meet.
Because the West Central Tribune doesn't publish on Sunday, all eyes
were going to be on the Monday edition.

Actually I checked
online Sunday night and was unable to find anything. Here's a hint,
coach Henrich: Make sure that one way or another, track and field news
gets reported in a timely way, whether it's via an "old media" site, or
Pheasant Country Sports, or a completely independent website. The kids
of today expect all important news to be online.

Looking at the June 11 edition of the Willmar paper, I was shocked
to see that other Tigers besides Holzheimer and Smith had qualified for
state. I was shocked and saddened because I had used that earlier West
Central Tribune article as an information source.

Can we assume the Willmar newspaper is a credible source of sports
info? I notice minor problems popping up quite often, like stats not
adding up the way they should, or other details not reconciling
properly.

On June 11, I read that Holzheimer took third in the 100m and sixth
in the 200m in state, but also anchored the eighth place 4x100m relay
team which also included Beth Holland, Sydney Engebretson and Adrianela
Mendez. Why weren't those other three Tigers acknowledged in the West
Central Tribune's coverage after the section meet?

Not only that, we had a pole vaulter in state. Wow! Abby Travis
placed 16th, getting over the bar at eight feet/three inches.
Congratulations to all, but I would like to have acknowledged all you
athletes earlier.

Distance runner Smith placed eleventh in the 1600m and 13th in the 3200m.

I hope coach Henrich had enough Gatorade (or whatever brand) along. Certainly it was a weekend to savor special memories.

Track and field seems to have an inherent disadvantage when it comes to
media coverage. The baseball and softball teams receive "team specific"
coverage. As a result there are frequent headlines that refer to "MACA
baseball" and "MACA softball," and these articles focus on the athletes
of MACA and the opponent, only.

Track and field tends to get represented in "meet coverage" which
has a big block of space turned over to a particular meet (with very
small type usually) and you have to painstakingly sift through to ferret
out the Morris names.

By mid-season I could almost recite the MACA baseball and softball
lineups for you, but I hardly knew who was out for track. I think this
is unfortunate.

My remedy as it always is, is for these teams
to establish online homes in one manner or another. It costs nothing or
next to nothing. The kids themselves could guide you. It's likely they
have more insights than many of the coaches.

Forget about the very inconsistent West Central Tribune of Willmar.
How much longer can it hang on as a daily anyway? Papers around the
U.S. are reducing their frequency of publication. Newspapers are so
stressed they can be nightmarish places to work.

Online, no one is encumbered by huge overhead costs which reflect
the old U.S. industrial model. Everything is getting more nimble now.

I
shudder to think what could have happened to me, in my newspaper
career, if I had written an article omitting names of state qualifiers.
I'd be called dumber than a pail of nails. Can there be any excuse for
this?

The West Central Tribune tries to be too many things to too many
people. Too much of the type size is inexcusably small. You get ink on
your fingers. Their 6/1 coverage of Tiger track did more harm than good.

Maybe the Morris paper (owned by the same
company) got the section meet info right the next day, but I rarely look
at the Morris paper. I certainly don't buy it. Who wants to deal with a
big Office Max sack that has to be disposed of? Where is the Office Max
store located in Morris?

I know, it's in Alexandria which is where the Morris paper seems to want to steer everyone to spend their money.

Let's allow the Morris and Willmar papers to both fade into well-deserved irrelevance.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The weekend was a time for the Morris Eagles to fly. First there was a Friday (6/8) win over the Coyotes of Chokio. That came by a 5-3 score and saw the Morris crew pound out ten hits. The Sunday story was a 6-3 win over the Canby Knights.

The upbeat weekend saw the Eagles improve their season won-lost to 6-3.

Click on the permalink below to read about the Eagles' wins on May 27 and June 2 over Dawson and Appleton, respectively. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course."

The Friday game contributed to the atmosphere for the annual Chokio Community Picnic. Team spokesman Matthew Carrington referred to this game as the "Highway 28 showdown." He noted it was a beautiful evening.

The game also started in a beautiful way for the Eagles' cause. Jamie Van Kempen doubled as the first batter, and this contributed to a three-run rally. Kirby Marquart came through with an infield hit. Chokio misplayed that ball and Van Kempen was able to race across home plate.

Ryan Beyer strode up to bat and delivered a home run to right-center, clearing the fence by a good margin. This was his third round-tripper of the season.

Chokio starting pitcher Alex Erickson got into a groove after that shaky first inning. There was a series of zeroes on the scoreboard after that.

Speaking of zeroes, Morris starting pitcher Carrington, the savvy veteran, had a no-hitter going through six innings. He lost his no-hit bid on an easily playable ball. It was a mere pop-up that landed five feet in front of home plate.

The Eagles had more misfortune on the next batter who hit a fly ball that would have been caught under normal conditions. The problem was what Carrington called the "hazy evening sky." A good excuse? Whatever, the Eagles couldn't make the play.

You might think the door is open for a rally here. But the Coyotes actually failed to score. The Eagles executed a double play on a soft liner to second. Then, a ground ball to third was handled crisply by the Eagles' defense, and it was out No. 3.

Carrington still had a shutout going. He finally faltered in the eighth when the Coyotes appeared to have him figured out and attacked with a double and two singles. Carrington departed from the mound with no outs and the Eagles leading 3-1.

Chokio stayed on the attack with a double that drove in two runs and tied the score. Both teams put up zeroes in the ninth so now we have extra innings.

Morris finally decided the issue in the tenth. Van Kempen walked and was sacrificed to second by Marquart. The bases became full (with one out) with walks issued to Ryan Beyer and Eric Ashe.

Craig Knochenmus hit the ball past the third baseman, getting two runs in.

It was up to pitcher Jacob Torgerson to slam the door. The bullpen door had opened for the fuzzy-cheeked (young) Torgerson in the ninth, and it was a special occasion as it was his town team debut. He allowed no runs in his two innings. He set down four Coyote batters on strikes. He walked no one and allowed two hits.

Nate Haseman pitched in between Carrington and Torgerson.

Marquart had a hot bat with three hits in four at-bats including a double, plus he scored a run. Beyer finished two-for-four with two runs and two ribbies.

Eagles with one hit each were Van Kempen, Ashe, Knochenmus, Cole Riley and Brett Anderson.

Eagles 6, Canby 3

Nathan Gades was the winning pitcher and Craig Knochenmus got the save in the Eagles' 6-3 win over Canby Sunday.

Gades fanned seven Knight batters in this home contest. He walked just one and gave up seven hits and three runs (just one earned).

Knochenmus fanned two batters, walked two and allowed one hit and no runs.

The Eagles generated seven hits but got much additional momentum from ten walks received and three hit batters. All that momentum spelled a comfortable 6-1 lead in the sixth inning. After that it was a matter of the Eagles "hanging on."

Canby whittled away at the deficit with two unearned runs in the seventh. The Knights might have broken through more but there was a timely double play in the ninth.

Tanner Picht was the leadoff man in the Eagles' lineup and he came through at two-for-four with a run scored and an RBI. He roamed center field on defense.

Eric Riley hit a resounding double off the wall to the opposite field in the fourth. Brett Anderson connected for an RBI single in the sixth frame.

Picht was the only Eagle with a multiple-hit game. Eagles with one hit were Beyer, Eric Riley, Knochenmus, Carrington and Anderson.

Click on the permalink below to get refreshed on the Eagles' first two wins of the 2012 season, which were over Madison and Clinton on May 19 and 20, respectively. This is an earlier "I Love Morris" post. Thanks for reading. - BW

Friday, June 8, 2012

Conservatives are great for warning us about the overreach of laws.
Every time we pass a law, they caution, we lose a little bit of
freedom.

Eventually we must draw a line. We must realize we can't legislate all the risk out of our lives, try as we might.

Were we Neanderthals in an earlier time? We tolerated a lot of
things that were quite demonstrably bad. It took Mothers Against Drunk
Driving to get the law to come down in a totally assertive way on
driving while impaired.

The term "drunk driving" seems a little old-fashioned. People who
drink too much aren't "drunks," they are people who have chemical
dependency issues.

As recently as the 1970s we considered excess alcohol consumption
to be funny. I remember a rock song, appealing to my generation, called
"The smoker you drink, the player you get."

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is no longer run by mothers. It's run by lawyers.

A lawyer was a snack for a dinosaur in Jurassic Park. But dinosaurs exist only in fantasy so let's not get too hopeful.

Little by little, the law evolves to where all faults, peccadilloes
and oversights are targeted and become no-go, just like drinking too
much at the local bar on a weekend. This behavior never really appealed
to me. But I observed a lot of it. I saw irony in many college students
always claiming they were flat broke while somehow coming up with the
means to consume booze.

I don't want to address marijuana. The libertarians want us to
legalize this now. I have read that the "war on drugs" came about as a
diversion from the Viet Nam War. That war and its consequences will
never be wiped from the consciousness of boomers.

Don't even think of having a beer before getting behind the wheel. I like having a beer or two with pizza so I'll take my bike.

These days I'd have to scratch off Pizza Hut, though, because I've
had an unusually large number of bad experiences there. I finally vented
in an online customer feedback form. I heard nothing after that. I
don't know, maybe these companies don't respond because it might be
construed as a violation of confidentiality.

Without predation from dinosaurs, lawyers have now been busy
ensuring that legislatures feel pressure to crack down on "no seat
belt." Aren't most legislators lawyers anyway? I imagine that
politicians, through litigation, feel they must roll up their sleeves on
these matters.

Legislate all risk out of our lives. Libertarians be damned. Laissez faire be damned. The nanny state thumps its chest.

Mayor Bloomberg out in New York City rolls up his sleeves on giant
sugared drinks. Is it a good idea? All these laws are "good ideas." But
it's getting to the point where we have to watch our backs at all times.

To all those sanctimonious souls who say we need rigid seat belt
enforcement, let me just say: "Be careful what you wish for." The next
step is going to be "unrestrained animals." It's already starting.

I have heard talk of fines of as much as a thousand bucks - a
thousand bucks - if your dog has his nose protruding out the car window.
The idea apparently isn't on the table yet in Minnesota. But just watch
out.

Such provisions apply to dogs in the back of your pickup. There
goes a whole genre of country music songs. Keith Kirwin, get ready.
"Spike" might become a lawbreaker.

We are seeing a sudden explosion of awareness of the health dangers
in football. We love football too much to just let go of it, don't we?
We always begin these things with some incredulity. We know that a
certain thing includes some risk or danger but we try to live with it.

In the old days, rumors of someone committing sexual misconduct (as
with children) might be met with a simple "shush." The most prominent
Christian denomination in the world was less than vigilant dealing with
it. The American legal community cuts no slack for the church today.

You just watch, the legal community isn't going to cut any slack
for football. Now that the dangers are being illustrated in an
increasingly convincing way, we'll see a revolt just like with the birth
of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It will start as a simple good cause
and then the lawyers will dig in. Believe me, they will dig in.

Here's how it might start: Certain families decide to sue based on
their local school not giving out enough information on the possible
consequences of football. But if a school in fact does share this
information in thorough fashion, most parents would cringe and say "My
son can find better things to do after school. My goodness, it's a
no-brainer."

Some former NFL players like Kurt Warner have come out and said they don't want their sons playing football.

This process of clamping down on football may accelerate faster
than you think. The ideal of protecting adolescents is irresistible.

But look how much our society, just financially, has invested in football.

Morris once had just a couple flat grassy pieces of ground for
football, for UMM and the high school. Abandoning those might be no big
deal. Heck, we actually did abandon Coombe Field, named for one of my
junior high teachers. That field has tumbleweeds blowing across it
today, in a sense. The UMM Cougars used to play in a quite fine facility
that had a grass surface.

But if football starts doing a rapid fade like heavyweight boxing
did, what are we to do with Big Cat Stadium? I have tried to be positive
about that facility since starting my online writing. The party line in
Morris has been to trumpet it. It seems like an isolated and desolate
place through the vast majority of the year, coming alive on only a
relatively few occasions.

On those occasions the community is supposed to turn out, sit on rear ends and pay homage to "elite sports."

But the old model of worshipping our local football and basketball
players has been eroding. That's why the movie "Hoosiers" has such an
incredibly retro look about it. Barbara Hershey didn't even want to be
at those games. She tried to look sullen so why was she there?

Girls are very fortunate. Their sports are much safer than what we expose our boys to.

This spate of publicity on football problems has me wondering if I
should ever write about the game again. Should I cover the Tigers this
coming fall? Or the Cougars? Or does all the publicity just keep
"feeding the monster?"

The local newspaper would say my coverage doesn't amount to a hill
of beans anyway. They should talk, having gone from twice weekly to
weekly, publishing about each week's game eight days after it was
played, and sometimes falling victim to terrible reporting errors from
the Willmar newspaper.

Coach Jerry Witt thanked me at last year's Lions fall sports
program. I wonder how much concern he feels about all these revelations
rolling in about football's dangers. He must be getting close to
retiring just based on age. He'll probably depart before the hammer
comes down on the sport. (BTW he's my age.)

Someday we might look back at how Neanderthal we were, putting
football on such a pedestal for entertainment. I'll look back on my old
football writing and feel like an anachronism.

Right now I feel like a horrible anachronism just as a 57-year-old
realizing the necessity of seat belts. I don't really see their
necessity, but I see the necessity of having them on in order to avoid
being pulled over by Mr. Dittbenner. I got my first ticket for this last
week.

We are striving to legislate all risks out of our lives. Soon all
our pets will have to be in pet carriers. Football will be wiped out or
altered so dramatically it won't seem like football anymore. Will we
face jail time if we go back through the buffet line without getting a
clean plate?

Why is our traffic citation system based on fining people? What
does money have to do with it? A $110 fine is going to be no sweat for a
well-off person, while a person living on the margins might have to
give up necessities. It doesn't seem fair, this disproportionate
adversity felt by the poor who have enough problems.

I'm reminded of the late John Candy from an old "SCTV" skit, where
he's the prohibitive underdog in a boxing match but he says "I have to
go out there and do this to show 'the little guy' he has a chance." So
he goes out, gets knocked out on the first punch and can't even be
revived with smelling salts.

That's about the way I feel now, having gotten a citation and
wondering "what's next?" Because after all, we have a dog. He's 15 years
old, weighs 40 pounds and is totally docile.

But in a future time, such an animal will have to be restrained.
Because, the "law is the law." Mr. Dittbenner will tell you that.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

High school sports extends into the sleepy summertime. The caps and gowns have been put away from graduation.

But the post-season of spring sports plods forward. It feels different from the other prep seasons.

When I was a kid, marching band was big in summer here. Kids
gravitated to the activity. It was considered so important, kids could
get kicked out of practice for misbehavior and they'd want to come back.
Today I'd just throw up my arms and say, "well, I can find other things
to do."

Eventually Legion and VFW baseball take over in summer. These
programs tend to wait until the local prep team is done. Our MACA Tigers
kept on winning on Thursday, May 31, extending their win skein to
eleven. This was with a nifty 7-1 triumph over Fairmont from way down in
southern Minnesota.

This was a Section 3AA winners bracket semi-final game. The site: Marshall.

Coach Mark Torgerson's orange and black crew has come a long way
since the sub-.500 floundering from earlier in the spring. They have
turned on the jets. They came out of the May 31 action with a 15-6
overall record. They are the second-seeded team from the North
sub-section.

Sam Mattson put his pitching arm to work for the Fairmont game. He gained his ninth win with a complete game performance.

He struck out two batters and walked one in his seven innings,
while giving up just three hits and the one run which was unearned. All
three of those hits were singles.

Two pitchers worked for Fairmont: Bruce Holm (the loser) and Luke
Becker. The Tigers outhit Fairmont 14-3. They out-fielded the foe also,
committing one error compared to Fairmont's four.

Mattson had a shutout going for five innings. That one unearned run
came home in the sixth, by which time the Tigers had four runs on the
scoreboard.

The first MACA run came about with multiple bunts. It was a suicide
squeeze bunt that got the run in. Fairmont committed one of its errors
on a bunt.

More Fairmont fielding problems contributed to the MACA run in the third.

The fifth inning saw the Tigers score twice with run-scoring hits
off the bats of Chandler Erickson and Tyler Henrichs. This pair of
Tigers were at it again in the seventh, driving in runs with their bats.
Brody Bahr drove in a run too.

All this offense complemented the steady pitching which has been a trademark through all of the success.

Hitting can be robust too. Tom Holland had two hits in three
at-bats and scored a run. Tanner Picht was two-for-three with two runs
scored. Erickson rapped two hits in four at-bats and drove in two runs.

Henrichs was a sizzling three-for-four, drove in two runs and
scored two. Bahr's boxscore line was two-for-three with one of the hits a
double, and he picked up two ribbies.

The Beckers - Luke and Levi - each had a hit for Fairmont as did Michael Forster.

The June 2 story for Morris Area Chokio Alberta had their win
streak finally snapped. The Tigers fell to the New Ulm Eagles 10-0 at
Legion Park in Marshall. Stay tuned.

Track and field newsmakers too

Katie Holzheimer and MaKenzie Smith qualified for state with their
performances in the Section 6A track and field meet held in Moorhead.
The two runners, both juniors, accelerated to great heights.

Holzheimer sped to a time of 12.84 seconds in the 100-meter dash,
placing second. She was very close to champion Sommer Haugrud of Pelican
Rapids (a 12.72 time).

Holzheimer qualified for state not only in this event but in the
200 meters where her time of 26.02 was good for third. Haugrud was
second in the 200m (25.81). The champion was Sauk Centre's Elizabeth
Hemsworth (25.79).

MaKenzie Smith is a distance specialist. She was clocked at five
minutes, 16.23 seconds in the maximum 3200-meter distance. She was
second to the finish line behind Molly Montonye of C-G-B (5:08.95). Now
it's on to state.

As a team the MACA girls tied with Pelican Rapids for first in
section. No MACA boys qualified for state. Pillager was the champion
boys team.

Hamline University is the site for state which is set for June 8 and 9. Congratulations to the high-achieving Tigers.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

A jukebox had 12 to 24 discs at the time when Glenn Miller's music
reigned. You could expect from two to six of those records to be of the
Miller band. The music sounds quite dated in the ears of my boomer
generation.

"Big bands" had a tiny niche when I was a kid and such bands had
been "updated" for our particular tastes. I'm thinking of Maynard
Ferguson. Maynard had the traditional instruments but there were strong
rock and disco elements.

Maynard's real first name (what he used on legal documents) was "Walter." Glenn Miller's real first name was "Alton."

Maynard once sang an ode to Miller's swing style. Among the words:
"You can have technique, good tone, and play with lots of spirit. If you
can't swing, it just don't mean a thing so no one here wants to hear
it."

I also liked the song because it rhymed "beard" with "weird."

Miller's all-American story begins with his birth on a farm in
Clarinda, Iowa. He bought his first trombone with money he made milking
cows. He attended high school in Fort Morgan, Colorado, and discovered
"big band music" as a particular area of interest as a senior.

He graduated in 1921 with drive to develop as a musician.

But driven he wasn't, when it came to college, as he failed three
of five classes one semester at the U of Colorado in Boulder. Maynard as
I recall had no time for "book learnin' " either.

These guys could inspire and entertain college students. Ironically
their own development owed nothing to college. As an Internet
triumphalist I say "hats off."

Miller had a rise with the expected bumps in the road and spells of
discouragement. He consulted with Benny Goodman at one of those low
stages and the clarinetist said "You just stay with it."

The biopic about Miller, "The Glenn Miller Story," shows some of that dues-paying - vehicles stuck in the snow etc.

I assume the movie used some creative license here and there, i.e.
embellishments. But I assume it's true that Miller's turnaround came
when he found that unique "sound" deemed so important.

I do assume it's an embellishment where the lead trumpet player
bumps his horn, injures his lip and has to sit out, thus setting the
stage for that "special sound" by accident. But hey, who knows?

The movie shows Miller scrambling. Presto! Let's use a clarinet for
the lead line. One can just imagine ol' Alton saying "I think I've got
it!"

When you think of the Miller band you probably think of saxophones,
trumpets and trombones. Sure those instruments were at the heart. But
follow the melody and it's not a sax standing out. Imagine "Moonlight
Serenade." Yes, it's that clarinet! A tenor sax would hold the same
note, and the three other saxes harmonized within a single octave.

Not only was the clarinet distinctive, so was the fellow who played
it under Miller: Wilbur Schwartz. He produced a richness that was hard
to duplicate in later incarnations of the band.

I'm a trumpet player so I might be inclined to say "all clarinet players sound alike." But apparently not so with Mr. Schwartz.

As for injuring your lip because of bumping your horn, that never once happened to me.

I had the pleasure of playing in bands that performed Miller "charts," as us musicians call them. You know them as "tunes."

I played in a ten-piece band that had "In the Mood" and "A String
of Pearls" in its repertoire. Surely these tunes were on a lot of those
juke boxes.

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" was performed in glorious music video style
- it takes a back seat to no other - in the 1941 movie "Sun Valley
Serenade" (with Milton Berle). Miller and his band returned to the big
screen in 1942 in "Orchestra Wives" (with Jackie Gleason).

Miller had a health issue that - I kid you not - could make
laughing uncomfortable. So, working with Gleason had its issues, it has
been reported.

The war stood in the way of a third planned movie: "Blind Date." How I wish that movie had been made.

I played my "ax" (trumpet) in a band for the earliest years of the
UMM Jazz Festival. We were the "West Central All-Stars," adults
who weren't necessarily connected to UMM. We played "In the Mood."

I remember the bass player in "Sun Valley Serenade" really "jiving"
on "In the Mood," in a way that must have seemed edgy at the time, almost
like he was on drugs, although I'm not asserting he was.

Didn't drummer Gene Krupa seem like he was always on drugs? Or was
this musicians' license to just act a little weird (with or without a
"beard")?

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" was so well-known, the name was fodder for a
little gag in "Young Frankenstein." This movie appealed to boomer
tastes 100 per cent in the '70s. In other words it was irreverent.
Remember Gene Wilder shouting out the train window, "Pardon me boy, is
this the Transylvania station?"

The boy answers the question right out of the song. It was nice
homage to an entertainment era, Miller's, really not so remote in time.
But the music of Miller and Goodman surely sounded ancient to the
boomers of the early and mid 1970s.

That's kind of sad, really, the way such beautiful and well-crafted sounds gave way to the likes of Jefferson Airplane.

Maynard Ferguson, it should be noted, was able to drift back to his
jazz roots in his final years to no objection from his long-time fans.
Maynard initially got a grip on boomers with a structured pop approach.
Who can explain shifts in popular music tastes?

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" was actually the first-ever gold record.
And it had more than instrumentalists. Singing was done by the
Modernaires whose harmony was sweet.

Miller sought commercial success which meant critics weren't going
to be completely on board. Miller himself fed the skeptics by coming
right out and saying "I don't want a jazz band."

Miller himself was right at home playing jazz. "The Glenn Miller
Story" has him playing alongside Louis Armstrong in a nightclub. But he
guided his own band toward extremely well-honed and precise renditions
of appealing melodies. The solos come off like they were written down on paper (like the
trumpet on "A String of Pearls").
The band rehearsed like slaves. Truly
Miller wanted a polished sound - no problem with that. And he had no
problem selling records.

The polished sound, some critics felt, reduced the feeling. Count
Basie may have played "hot jazz" but this was not Miller's aim.

(I remember Maynard at the St. Prom Ballroom, after the house
announcer reminded of an upcoming appearance by "Basie," saying in
a put-on dismissive way, "Remember, that's Count Basie." MF had a sense
of humor.)

Miller's wife Helen (Burger) was his college sweetheart. This was one college "class" he surely mastered.

His all-American story ended in WWII with his disappearance
into the mist, embarking across the English Channel with the war still
hot.

What would have happened had he lived? How would he have transitioned from the big band era? We can only guess.

But Miller was a shrewd and industrious man who surely would have landed on his feet. What a story.

Glenn Miller RIP.

Click on the permalink below to read a post I wrote about the mystery of Glenn Miller's death. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course."

Summer scenes around Morris, 2012

Click on the image to view a Flickr album of photos taken around the Morris area in the warm weather months of 2012. This group includes photos taken at the 2012 UMM graduation. The image above taken near Perkins Lake was chosen for display in the "Minnesota Explorers" Flickr gallery which is linked to Rick Kupchella's "Bring Me the News" MN website. Also chosen was a field of sunflowers photo I took. I'm delighted to have such platforms available. - B.W.

Past MACA Tiger football photos:

City of Morris perspective:

Pin it on your chest!

Click on the above image to access our "City Data" page.

Morris Theater - morris mn

Click on this image to read thoughts/reflections on our Morris Theater, which is hanging on through changing times (as a co-op). There is a link at the bottom of this post to read part 2 as well. These posts were written in spring of 2010 so there are some dated references. Any Morris native can spin some fond recollections of enjoying cinema fare there with friends.

Enjoy some fall scenery around Morris:

Enjoy some winter scenes around Morris:

Sam Smith statue - morris mn

Click on the image to read about the Sam Smith "running rifleman" statue at Summit Cemetery. This post explores the life of Samuel Smith, early Morris resident. He fought for the Union cause in several major engagements in the Civil War. The statue is patterned after the statue for the First Minnesota Regiment at Gettysburg National Park. This post is the newest of three that I have written about Sam Smith. I consider it the most comprehensive about the man. The statue can be an overlooked landmark of Morris MN. Everyone here ought to be familiar with it. Smith raised a large family north of Morris.

The first building here

In 1871 the first building erected within the village of Morris was the headquarters of the chief engineer of the railroad, C.H.F. Morris. With the railroad came the people.

The WCROC overlook

A nice view to the west is afforded from the WCROC overlook. It's a relatively new feature of the WCROC grounds. Specifically it's part of the WCROC Horticulture Garden. Click on the image to reach the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) website. Les Lindor was instrumental in making the overlook a reality. He served the West Central Experiment Station (the entity predating the WCROC) as ag engineer.

Stay informed about Stevens County MN:

Morris' music mecca:

Words to live by

This original and popular sign can be seen from the highway between Morris and Cyrus. It's associated with the late Dan Helberg. There used to be a sculpture next to it but perhaps it was removed due to legal restrictions (i.e. as a distraction). The sign has the thumbs-up for which we are grateful. Let's always heed these words.

Some spring/summer photo scenes:

The bike trail system

Call it both a walking and bicycling trail. It snakes along both the east and west sides of our Pomme de Terre River. You can do a complete lap which reportedly measures 4 1/2 miles. It's a fitness challenge for those willing to push their bodies a little! This photo was taken on the east side of the river, heading toward Lake Crissey (a wide spot on the river). Spring is a great time to get out there.

Our area's history:

Remembering "ag school"

From the time it accepted its first class in 1910, until it graduated its final class of seniors in 1963, over 7,000 students attended the West Central School of Agriculture. The precursor of the U of M-Morris, it opened its doors to its first class of 103 students in October of 1910.

Wildflowers out by the river

Click on this image to reach the "Minnesota wildflowers" website. This photo was taken on the west side of our Pomme de Terre River.

Before the current library

In 1921 the Stevens County Memorial Armory was built on the 100 block of East 6th Street, the site which is now occupied by the Morris Public Library.1969 saw the opening of the new Morris Public Library on the site of the old armory, leaving vacant the Carnegie building. The Historical Society found a new home in the Carnegie building in 1970.

A suggested restaurant

About Me

Brian Williams is a former writer in the Morris "dead tree" media who plies his pastime in the wonderful, liberating new media today. He refuses to consider himself an alternative journalist because the web is now the mainstream. Newspapers are in rapid retreat and it won't be long before they will exist in vestigial form only. Print media will not die because as a media observer put it: "We will always have print media for as long as there's a 'print' button on your computer." A once weekly newspaper (like in Morris) won't cut it. It's not consistent with our instant gratification culture. But the media are blossoming more than ever thanks to all the new tools. It's an uplifting, "green" new universe. Key word suggestions: morris mn - hancock mn - donnelly mn - cyrus mn - chokio mn - alberta mn - 56267 - stevens county - morris theater mn - morris area tigers - hancock owls.

Buy a car:

Pomme de Terre or Perkins?

Most maps identify it as "Perkins Lake" but it's known as Pomme de Terre to many local residents. The sign at the entry to the lake access uses the Pomme de Terre term, so that seems legitimate. This lake is part of a chain that represent wide spots on the Pomme de Terre River. Pomme de Terre Lake is useful for recreation and fishing, plus there are many fine residences along the shoreline. The chain is located several miles north of Morris.

A Destiny Driver. . .

"I Love Morris" is consistent with one of the "destiny drivers" as articulated by Stevens Forward! (named for Stevens County): "By 2010 we will enhance our interconnectedness by better utilizing the technology infrastructure to create a virtual community." (2010 is already here but this is always a "work in progress!")

We're the "Storm" in hockey

Click on this image to reach the official website of the Morris Benson Area "Storm" hockey program. Of course it's "MBA" for short. In Morris these teams play at the Lee Community Center, next to the fairgrounds.

B.W.'s country music memories, 1996-97:

Your Congressman:

Maintain perspective:

Main street of Morris mn

Atlantic Avenue is the main street of Morris and it's typically abuzz. Click on the above image to reach the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission website.

Gager's Station

The first stopping place in Stevens County was Gager's Station, considered by some historians to be one of the more important stopping plces on the Wadsworth Trail. The station was nestled among the trees near Wintermute Lake.

VIDEO CLIPS

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The Eagles huddle

Blue is the color of the Morris amateur baseball team which goes by the nickname "Eagles." They're pictured about to break a pre-game huddle at their home: Chizek Field, named for the late Don Chizek who coached the Morris High Tigers for many years. The Tigers now have their own veteran coach in Lyle Rambow. Lyle had a successful playing career with the Eagles.

RIP jazz band leaders:

Best dog you could own:

"Dog is my co-pilot":

Superb early-morning TV:

Wind turbines - morris mn

There are two grand wind turbines such as this one on the eastern edge of Morris. It appears glistening white in this photo but they often are dark, silhouetted against the bright sky. A photographer never tires of them. They have become sustainable symbols of the community.

A trail of long ago here

The Wadsworth Trail was established by the U.S. Government in 1864 to transport supplies from St. Cloud to Fort Wadsworth, west of present day Sisseton, South Dakota.

No longer just a comedian:

She's upstaging Jim Klobuchar now:

Visit our McDonald's

It's a hotspot for dependable fast food and, just as important, socializing: our McDonald's Restaurant on the north end of Atlantic Avenue.

Our park in west Morris

Wells Park, located near Pacific Avenue and West 11th Street, was established in 1916 on land donated to the city by Henry Wells (a successful businessman and land investor) and Margaret Hulburd. Additional land was donated in 1935 by the Wells Investment Company, and in 1980 by Grace Zamerow.